The Commonwealth of South Cowland is a gargantuan, safe nation, ruled by Ken with an even hand, and remarkable for its smutty television, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and strictly enforced bedtime. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 13.079 billion South Cowlandians are either ruled by a sleek, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.

The relatively small, corrupt, pro-business government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cow City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 5.1%.

The frighteningly efficient South Cowlandian economy, worth a remarkable 3,822 trillion Pounds a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is an amazing 292,292 Pounds, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 966,444 per year while the poor average 66,084, a ratio of 14.6 to 1.

The new 'Things We Stole From Other Countries' exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities is a hit, small businesses are gobbled up almost daily by corporate giants, commuters often break into synchronised para-para dancing for no reason at all, and NationStates staff are easily recognizable by their gold-plated mansions. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. South Cowland's national animal is the fox, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.